Celtic’s win in Helsinki lines up five potential play-off opponents

Maribor manager Darko Milanic could be facing Scottish opposition again.©SNS Group

Celtic’s win over HJK in the third qualifying round of the Champions League put them in Friday’s draw for the play-offs.

Neil Lennon’s side are potentially 180 minutes from playing on the biggest stage in club football and will learn who stands in their way when the draw is made in Nyon.

As SPL winners, the Parkhead club are in the Champions Path in the qualifiers, meaning that they can only draw one of five potential opponents. A trip to Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Cyprus or Israel is possible and they could be paired with a familiar name.

Celtic’s potential opponents

CFR 1907 Cluj

Unknown a decade ago, Cluj only played their first European game in 2004. In the 2008-09 Champions League they made a splash though, defeating Roma and drawing with Chelsea in the group stages.

Having won their third league title by just a point over Vaslui last season, they entered Champions League qualifying at the third qualifying round. Cluj dealt easily with Slovan Liberec, winning 1-0 at home before taking a 2-1 win in the Czech Republic.

The danger men are Greek striker Pantelis Kapitanos, who has three goals in five games already this season and creative Brazilian Rafael Bastos.

Helsingborgs

Or Henrik Larsson’s former club Helsingborgs, as they would no doubt be called in most Scottish reports.

Because the Swedish league is played in the summer months, the club are in the competition based on their league win in the 2010-11 season. This term they haven’t fared so well and are languishing in sixth position just after the halfway stage,

Following the departure of Conny Karlsson in June, former Norway manager Age Hareide took charge of the side on a short-term basis until the end of the Allsvenkan season.

An experience campaigner, Hariede was in the dugout when Scotland drew with Norway and Chris Iwelumo missed that chance.

Helsingborgs have come through two qualifying rounds to reach this stage, beating The New Saints 3-0 on aggregate before an impressive 6-1 thumping of Slask Wroclaw in the third qualifying round.

NK Maribor

A name to strike fear into the hearts of Rangers fans, Maribor would be aiming to do the double over Glaswegian teams in European competition.

The 3-2 shock win against Ally McCoist’s side last season brought the Slovenians to wider attention but it was just another step in a steady rise for Darko Milanic’s side.

The league was won by a healthy 20 points last season and four games in to the new campaign Maribor are unbeaten and sitting top. Zeljeznicar and Dudelange have been dismissed in two rounds of qualifying so far with 11 goals scored and three conceded.

Macedonian international Agim Ibraimi, who scored against Rangers, is still a key player and one of only a few foreigners in a squad that is primarily Slovenian.

AEL Limassol

After finishing in ninth position in the 2010-11 Cypriot league, 29 points behind the winners, few would have tipped AEL to take the title the following year.

That they conceded only seven goals in 26 games en route to victory points at a side that is resolute in defence but take their chances in front of goal.

A cosmopolitan side assembled by Pambos “Pamourinho” Christodolou is aiming to spring a surprise in Europe but after dismantling Linfield in their Second qualifying round match, Linfield manager David Jeffrey was clear in his assessment of their ability.

"This was the toughest contest I have ever taken a team into,” he said. “They are an exceptional side."

Even so, when pitted against Partizan in the next round, AEL were the underdogs. Home and away 1-0 wins put them in the play-offs and they look to be a tricky proposition.

Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona

Founded in 2000 and beginning in the fourth tier of the Israeli leagues, Ironi Kiryat Shmona’s rise has been rapid.

Only promoted to the top division in 2007, the Israelis won their domestic championship by 14 points over Hapoel Tel Aviv last season.

That title handed the Euro newcomers a place in the Champions League qualifiers and they got off to a great start with a 4-0 win against Neftchi Baku, completing the job with a 2-2 draw in Azerbaijan.

The man who would have to be watched closely by Charlie Mulgrew and company is forward Shimon Abuhatzira, who helped himself to 13 goals en route to the league trophy last season.

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